The pomp and circumstance of the Super Bowl has arrived. The New England Patriots look to win their fourth title under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady while the Seattle Seahawks try for two in a row.
Super Bowl 2015 kickoff time for Patriots vs. Seahawks
The Super Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Super Bowl XLIX will be defined by the legacy ramifications for both of the teams involved. The Patriots won three titles in the early 2000s, but they fell short in their two subsequent trips. Both times, Belichick and Brady were outdone by the underdog New York Giants. Worse, New England has endured multiple cheating scandals since their last Super Bowl ring including the ongoing DeflateGate accusations. A win Sunday would silence many of the team’s critics and refocus the attention on the incredible, prolonged success of the current Patriots regime.
As for the Seahawks, they have the opportunity to win back-to-back Super Bowls for the first time since New England did it a decade earlier. Such feats have become increasingly rare in the post-free agency era of the NFL. While most teams reaching the Super Bowl do so at the peak of their powers, the Seahawks may still have room to grow. Their success is built on a young nucleus that includes Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Russell Wilson. Add to that veteran playmakers like Marshawn Lynch and Michael Bennett, and it’s difficult to envision Seattle not contending for the foreseeable future.
The Patriots’ greatest strength on offense is the Brady-Gronk connection. Tight end Rob Gronkowski is perhaps the most gifted pass catcher in the league, and certainly the most difficult to cover. His size (6’6, 265 pounds) makes him too large for defensive backs to stick to and his speed and athleticism create mismatches against linebackers. Even against a talented defense like Seattle’s, Gronkowski should produce big numbers.
The Seahawks will counter the way they always do -- the ground game. Lynch and backup Robert Turbin form one of the league’s fiercest running tandems and have proved difficult to stop. Against the Packers in the conference championship, Lynch carried the ball 25 times for a whopping 157 yards and a touchdown. Against a defense that ranked 14th in DVOA against the run during the regular season, the Seahawks should see big gains in Super Bowl.
The Patriots enter the Sunday’s game with a record of 14-4 counting the playoffs. The Seahawks also come in at 14-4.
How to watch
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale
When: 6:30 p.m. ET
Super Bowl TV: NBC
Announcers: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michelle Tafoya
Odds
The Patriots are 1-point favorites according to OddsShark.
Further reading
For more on the Patriots, check out Pats Pulpit. For additional coverage of the Seahawks, head on over to Field Gulls.
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